Girl Meets 2016
by dobegirl15
Summary: This is my take on what should happen after Girl Meets the New Year. The aftermath of the New Year makes things awkward between Riley, Maya, Lucas, and Farkle. What will happen with Riley, Maya, and Lucas? Bits of everything- Rucas, Lucaya, Riarkle, and maybe some Markle. Also maybe Corpanga. Continuing story!
1. The Aftermath

**Hello again! I'm really excited about this story! This takes place after Girl Meets the New Year! I'm going to write about what I think should happen after this whole triangle (or non-triangle, according to the writers). This is going to be a chaptered story! Hopefully I'll be updating very frequently.**

 **Enjoy :)**

The next day at school- two days after New Years Eve- was more than a little awkward.

I went to my desk and sat down. Maya, following behind me, sat in her desk. We both looked at each other, but quickly looked away.

My dad, having noticed this, immediately said, "Okay, what's going on?"

"Nothing, Dad," I said quickly. "It's nothing."

"A little misunderstanding," Maya added.

He nodded, obviously not believing what I said.

"Does this have to do with New Years?" he asked.

"Why would you say that?" I asked guiltily.

"Kinda," Maya said.

Dad gave me a look. "We'll talk about it after class," he said, pointing to Maya and me.

I sighed. We were done for now, but we'd have to face it soon.

He went back to preparing for class, and then I looked up to see Lucas walking through the door.

I smiled at him in greeting, but he just looked between Maya and me. He gave us both an awkward smile and then sat at his desk.

Today, Maya didn't turn around to say, "Hey, Huckleberry," or "How's it going, Ranger Rick?" She simply sat facing the front, waiting for class to start.

I followed her example and turned to face the front. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes in an effort to relax.

When I opened my eyes, Farkle was walking through the door.

He looked wearily at me, nodded at Maya and Lucas, and sat down behind me.

I turned around to see him.

"It's okay, Farkle. This doesn't have to be weird. I understand why you did what you did. It's okay."

Farkle nodded. "Thank you, Riley. I appreciate that. And I'm sorry. I didn't want things to happen like that. I mean, I just wish we could've heard it from you. But I understand why you didn't say anything. And I still think I did the right thing."

"I know," I said quietly. I turned around to face the front.

My dad turned around from writing on the chalkboard and saw us all sitting awkwardly.

He sighed and then said, "Whatever's going on, you guys have to fix it."

We all nodded.

"Good. If you need anything, I'm here. But I think I'm going to stay out of this one. I think it goes a little further than a class lesson," he said.

He began class and we all sat through the hour, waiting for the bell to ring.

xxxXXXxxx

After class, we all hurried out of our seats. I went to my locker and tried to quickly grab my books for my next class.

Just as I was about to close my locker, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned around to see Farkle standing there.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I answered back.

"You need to talk to Maya," he said.

I sighed. "I know. I just don't know what to say. And I don't think now is a good time either. Maybe tonight."

"Tell her how you feel. She can't get mad at you for feeling, right?"

"I don't know, Farkle. I just don't want to lose her over this."

"You're not going to lose her. You guys are the closest best friends I've ever seen. You can talk about anything. You can do it. You'll be okay," he said, giving me a small smile.

"Thank you, Farkle. I'll talk to her tonight," I said, smiling back.

"So…are we okay?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah. We're okay."

"Good," he said, obviously relieved. "You're very important to me and I would never want to hurt our friendship. I just want you to be happy."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"If you need anything til then, you can call me."

I smiled at him. "You're a great friend, Farkle."

He smiled back at me.

I closed my locker and headed to my next class.

xxxXXXxxx

After school that day, I sat at my bay window, waiting for Maya to come through the window. My foot bounced up and down in nervousness, and my fingers couldn't stop tapping.

I heard a tap on the window and I looked up to see Maya waving at me.

I opened the window and she crawled through to sit next to me.

"Hey," I said.

"How's it goin, Riles?"

"I'm good. How are you?" I asked.

"I hate this," she said monotonously.

"Me too."

"So what are we going to do?" she asked me.

I shook my head. "I don't know. But whatever happens, I know that I don't want to lose you as my best friend."

"Riles, you'll never get rid of me that easy. Ring power!" she exclaimed, putting her index finger in the air.

I grinned. "Ring power!" I put my index finger in the air with hers.

"We just need to figure out what we're going to do," she said.

I nodded. "Okay. First we need to agree that no matter what happens, we'll stay best friends."

She smiled and nodded at me. "Always."

"Now what about Lucas?"

At this, she was silent.

"I mean, we have to talk about this, Maya. We can't just pretend this isn't happening. We both have feelings for Lucas. Now what?"

"It's not like we can just decide something like this now, Riles. As much as I'd like for this to be over, it's not that easy."

"I know. I just…I want to know that we're not going to fight against each other," I said quietly.

She looked up at me. "No playing dirty."

I nodded. "I know we both like him, but our friendship has to come first."

"Agreed."

"Best friends?" I asked.

"Best friends always," she said.

I leaned over to hug her and she hugged me back.

"This is going to be a hard part of our lives," I said.

"I know. But we'll be okay. We're best friends. What could happen?"

 **Hey! I hope you liked the first chapter! Please review and let me know what you think! What do you think's going to happen? Who do you ship?**

 **I bet you won't see what's coming ;)**

 **Let me know what you want to see in the coming chapters! Maybe you'll get to see that soon…**

 **Like I said earlier, I hope to update pretty frequently. Next chapter should be here soon!**

 **Stay awesome!**


	2. Meeting with Lucas

**Alright, here's chapter 2! The story's starting to get into it…**

The next day after school, Maya and I were sitting in my room waiting for Lucas.

I was nervous. Whatever happened, I didn't want this to end with someone not being friends with the other two. I took a deep breath.

Maya turned to look at me. "It's okay, Riles. We'll stay best friends. No matter what."

"I know," I said, slightly smiling. "I'm just anxious for this to be done. I don't like just waiting."

"Ugh!" Maya complained. "He's taking forever!"

Finally we heard the doorbell ring.

We both looked at each other.

"This is it," she said.

"Yeah."

"Should we go down there?" she asked me.

"No, my mom said she'd bring him up."

She nodded.

We waited for a few seconds and then there was a knock at my bedroom door.

"Come in," I said.

I saw my mom first.

"Hey, girls. Lucas is here," Mom said.

"Thanks, Mom."

She nodded and left. Then Lucas walked in.

"Hey, Lucas," I said.

"Hi, Riley," he answered.

"Hey, Lucas," Maya echoed.

"Hi," he said. He looked awkwardly between us.

"Oh, you can sit," I said, noticing the awkwardness.

I scooted over toward Maya and made room for Lucas on the other side of the bay window. He sat down.

"So," Maya said, still a sense of awkwardness in the air.

"Lucas, I think you know why we brought you here," I said.

He nodded slowly.

"We need your opinion in all of this. What do you feel?" I asked him.

He just looked between us for a few seconds.

"I…I like you, Riley. I like that you're kind. I like that you're not afraid to be yourself. I like that you're so goofy, but it fits so perfectly with your personality."

I smiled and he smiled back at me. I looked over at Maya. She was looking down at her hands in her lap.

"But I also like you, Maya," he began.

She looked up, a hopeful smile on her face.

"I like that you're strong and down-to-earth and real. You've always been real. You never take things for anything less than they're worth."

She had a look on her face that I'd never seen before. Her eyes were lit up and she had the most genuine, hopeful smile on her face. She looked like she was stuck in that moment, wishing it would go on forever.

My eyes crinkled as I watched the scene. I looked back at Lucas and he was looking at her with that same look. When he saw me looking, he turned back to me. The look was gone.

We were all silent. I couldn't speak. I tried, but nothing came out. I felt tears at the brim of my eyes, so I jumped up and ran out of the room before they could come.

I bolted into the hallway, unsure of where I'd go.

"Riley!" I heard Maya calling. I couldn't answer.

I shut my bedroom door and looked around. Auggie was in his room. I couldn't go in there.

I ran down the hallway just as I heard my door open. I was in the kitchen. My parents were looking up at me.

"Riley, what's wrong?" my mom asked, concern on her face. She stood up.

I shook my head. My breathing intensified as I tried to stop myself from crying.

"Riley, what's going on?" my dad asked.

"I can't…please make them leave," I said, tears beginning to fall down my face. I ran to my mom and wrapped my arms around her.

I felt her wrap her arms around me in response.

"Honey, are you okay?" she asked.

"Please make them leave," I said again, now sobbing.

"Okay," she said softly. I heard my dad walk into the hallway.

"I'm sorry, guys. I think Riley just needs to be alone right now. I'll have her call you later, okay?" I heard him say.

"Mr. Matthews, I don't understand," Maya said.

"Maya, please. Just go."

I heard footsteps. They must have went back to my bedroom to exit out the window. I heard more footsteps headed toward me.

I felt a hand on my head.

"They're gone, sweetie," I heard my dad say.

I looked up at him, my crying beginning to subside.

"Riley, what is going on?" Mom asked.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I…Lucas…he chose Maya," I said, tears beginning to fall again.

"Oh, honey," Mom said, pulling our hug tighter. "I'm so sorry, sweetie." I buried my face on her shoulder.

"It's not fair," I said through the tears.

"I know," Mom said, trying to comfort me.

"How could he choose her? She was so mean to him. And we went on our first date. And he was my first kiss. And now he likes my best friend? And now my best friend likes him? That's not fair."

I heard my mom sigh. She took her arms back and grabbed my face. She wiped the tears away and then kissed my cheek.

"It's _not_ fair," she said to me. "I know. But you're going to be okay."

I closed my eyes and tears fell again.

"Come here, honey," she said, taking my hand. She led me to the couch. My dad followed. He sat next to her.

"Listen to me," she began. "I know this hurts. And I cannot imagine how hard this is for you. But you can't push them away, Riley. You can't. Maya is your best friend."

I shook my head. "This isn't fair. You didn't ever have to go through this. You guys were always just together. Why can't I have that? Why can't it be that easy for me?"

My parents looked at each other.

"Riley, I know you think we had it easy, but we did go through a lot of stuff. I know we've never had to go through this, but we didn't have it easy," Dad told me.

"Everybody has their own story, Riley. That was our story. You have a story that's all your own, and it's different from everybody else. Don't worry. This is hardly the last chance you'll have at love," Mom said.

"But why would I have to go through that?" I asked.

"Everything happens for a reason," Dad said. "Because you have to learn from this."

"I just wish I could've had a relationship like you guys," I said, feeling defeated.

"Honey, no you don't!" Mom said. "If everyone had the same life, it would be so boring!"

"Maybe that's what you're supposed to learn," Dad said. "You can't look at someone else and try to have exactly what they have. It won't work. No matter what it is. Please don't try to look for a copy of us. You deserve to have your own, special story."

"And we didn't go looking for anything," Mom added. "It just…happened. That's how love works, sweetie. Don't go looking for anything. And when you least expect it, you'll find it."

I nodded. "How do I face them again?"

Mom sighed. "With courage."

Dad nodded.

"That's what your name means, you know," Mom said.

"Really?" I asked. "It means courage?"

"Yeah," Dad said. "That's why we chose your name."

 _Wow_ , I thought. _My name means something. Courage_.

"Thank you," I said, in awe about my name.

They both smiled at me.

"Everything will work out. It'll be okay," Mom said, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear.

I smiled at her. Then I leaned forward to hug them both.

"Can I just stay here with you guys for a little bit?" I asked.

"Of course," Mom said. She motioned for me to come closer to her.

I scooted closer and leaned on my mom's shoulder. She leaned on my dad's shoulder and he wrapped his arms around us both.

 **Thank you for checking out this chapter! I really hope you liked it. PLEASE leave a review! I want to know what you think!**

 **Is there anything you want to see coming up? What do you think is going to happen?**

 **Stay awesome!**


	3. I'm Here For You

**So this chapter just kind of happened. I wasn't expecting this to happen, but it did. I guess we'll see where the story goes…**

After taking a half hour or so to relax and settle down, my parents made dinner, and then I finished my homework for the day. By the time everything was done, it was about 7:00.

I stood up from the couch and took my backpack to my room. I looked at my desk and saw that I'd left my phone there earlier today. I picked it up. Four new messages.

I sighed, not wanting to read them.

The first one was from Maya.

 _ **Hey, Riley, I hope ur ok. Idrk what happened, but text me.**_

I scrolled past it to the next one. It was from Farkle.

 _ **Riley, I heard what happened. Are you okay?**_

The next two were also from Farkle.

 _ **Everything's going to be okay, Riley.**_

 _ **Do you want to talk about it?**_

That made me smile. _That's right_ , I thought. _I can talk to Farkle. He's not even involved in any of this. I have a friend in Farkle._

I replied, _**Thank you. Yes, I would like to talk about it.**_

I set my phone down on my desk and then turned around to pick my pajamas out.

I opened my drawer and then the phone buzzed. I turned back around and picked up the phone.

It was Farkle again. _**What happened?**_

I typed everything out and explained it all. It took a few minutes to text, but I felt better after I did. _At least he knows now_.

I changed into my pajamas and sat down on my bed. I picked my phone up and scrolled back to Maya's message.

 _ **Hey, Riley, I hope ur ok. Idrk what happened, but text me.**_

I sighed and then typed, _**I'm ok. I just know what's happening. I'm gonna go to sleep now tho. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night.**_

Maya replied. _**Good nite Riles. See u tomorrow.**_

Then I got a reply from Farkle.

 _ **I'm sorry, Riley. Everything's going to be okay. I'm here for you.**_

I smiled at his text.

I heard a tap on my window and then I looked up. Farkle was outside. My eyes grew wide.

I walked to the window and opened it.

"Farkle, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be walking around at night!" I scolded him as he climbed through the window.

"I had to make sure you were alright," he said. "You weren't answering my texts, and I wanted to make sure you had someone to talk to."

"I _did_ answer your texts," I said, still somewhat angry.

"I'd already left by the time you did. And I still wanted to see you, to make sure you're okay."

I sighed and sat down at the window.

"Thank you," I said.

He sat down next to me. "Are you really okay?"

I nodded. "I just can't believe this actually happened. I mean, wondering is one thing, but now it's certain."

"But you knew," he said, looking at me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, beginning to get irritated.

"You knew he liked her."

"No, I didn't know, Farkle. That's why we had to ask Lucas."

"But you knew. That's why you stepped back for Maya. And you love both of them because they're your friends, and you want them to be happy. You knew."

"Stop it, Farkle," I said, trying not to let tears fall.

"You know they both like each other. And you know that he likes you too. But you know that it's just not enough. So you have to let him go."

Farkle wasn't looking at me now. He was looking at his hands.

I shook my head, confused. "I never told you anything about any of that. How would you possibly know if I felt any of those things?"

He looked up at me. "I can see it."

"How?" I demanded.

He shook his head. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you have to learn to accept what's happened, Riley. You can't hate them."

"I don't hate them, Farkle."

"Good. They're your friends and you have to love them like they're your friends. You have to get over Lucas," he said.

I felt my heart drop as he said that. I closed my eyes, not wanting to feel pain.

"But that's why I'm here," he said. "I'm here to help you with that."

"You're the only one I can go to about this, aren't you?" I asked, opening my eyes. "I can't go to Maya or Lucas about this."

"Well, you can go to your parents. Or anybody, really. Just not really Maya or Lucas."

I nodded. "What do I do now, Farkle?"

He sighed. "You just…try to move on. Enjoy life. Enjoy what you _can_ have. You can still have your best friend, and you can have Lucas…as a friend."

I looked up at him. "How do you know so much about this?"

"I'm just trying to help you," he said. "Are you going to be okay?"

I felt tears falling down my face. I wrapped my arms around him and leaned my head on his shoulder. He put his arms around me in response.

I broke the hug and leaned back. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you, Farkle."

He gave me a small smile. We both sat there, looking at each other. It felt like there was some sort of tension.

The door opened and I quickly took a breath, suddenly aware that I hadn't done that for a while.

I looked over and my mom was standing there. "Hey, guys. Farkle, I didn't know you were here," she said.

My cheeks felt warm and I looked over at Farkle. He looked back at me, seeming somewhat shocked as well.

"Did I interrupt something?" Mom asked.

"No!" I said quickly. "Farkle just came over to make sure I was okay."

"That was very nice, Farkle."

"I think I'm going to be going now, though," Farkle said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Riley. Bye, Mrs. Matthews," he said, climbing out the window.

"Bye, Farkle," Mom said.

After he left, I closed the window.

Mom walked over to me.

"What was going on just now?" she asked.

"Nothing. I told you. Farkle just came over to make sure I was okay."

"Really? Because you looked like you were blushing a little," she said, a smile coming to her face.

I rolled my eyes. "Because you didn't know he was here, and I didn't expect him to be here, and it was weird that you opened the door then because it was super awkward, and-"

"Whatever you say, Riley," she said mysteriously. She turned around and walked toward the door. She pulled the door shut, but gave me an interested look before she left.

I went over to the wall and turned the light off, irritated with the events that occurred. I marched to my bed and laid down.

I laid there and just looked at the ceiling for a few minutes, and then I began to calm down. I started to think about what happened.

 _Why was I blushing,_ I asked myself. _It's not like I had any reason to blush. Why would I blush?_

I sighed and rolled over to my side.

 _Why did he come anyway? Maya didn't even come and she's my best friend. Why did he come? And why did he leave so suddenly? And how did he know all those things?_

I began to think about what he told me and then realized what he said was true. I hadn't wanted to admit it to myself, but somehow I'd always known, deep down, that he liked Maya more. I'd known that they had much more of a relationship somehow, even though they were mean to each other.

 _Farkle was right. But how did he know? What just happened?_

 **Ooh, what do you guys think?! It's getting crazy. I'm pretty excited for where this story's going to go. I wasn't expecting this chapter to happen…but I guess it did. I don't even know how this story's going to end. Hmm…I guess we'll see.**

 **Leave a review! Tell me what you think! Why did Farkle come? How did he know all that stuff about Riley? What** _ **did**_ **just happen?**

 **Until next time. Stay awesome.**


	4. Making Amends

**Okay, so I was so excited about this story that I just wrote another chapter. ON WE GO!**

The next day at school seemed just as awkward as the first day after the new year. Maya and I walked into the classroom, both of us unwilling to start any meaningful conversation. Lucas came in next, still looking uneasily between us. Farkle came in next.

This time, though, Farkle gave me a hint of a smile and then sat down. I turned around and smiled back at him softly. He said, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I answered. I turned back around to face the front. I looked over at Maya. She looked back over at me.

"What's going on?" she asked me, obviously exasperated with the situation.

"I'll tell you later," I said.

Then Lucas said, "Riley, is everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything's going to be fine."

 _It's interesting that they don't know what's happening. I seem to be the only one who picked up on it. But it was obvious enough._

Class went by, and then we were all walking out of the room together.

Maya came up to me and said, "Talk to me, Riley. What happened yesterday?"

"You didn't pick up on it?" I asked her.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't understand what's going on!"

I sighed and looked down at my shoes. "Maya, when Lucas came over yesterday, I noticed how you two act around each other. It's…different than me and Lucas. You must at least know that."

"Yeah, it's different. I mean, I call him 'Huckleberry,' and you don't."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Maya. I'm talking about that you really like him. And he really likes you. He doesn't feel that way about me. He feels that way about you," I said quietly, walking to my locker.

"Riley, what are you talking about? He said he likes you," she said, following me.

"But you didn't see the way he looks at you? Because it's completely different from the way he looks at me. I can tell."

Maya didn't know what to say. She fumbled around with words before saying, "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "You can't be sorry, Maya. You can't help what he feels, or what you feel. You just…feel. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. It's going to work out for you, Maya."

"Riley, I never wanted to-"

"I know," I interrupted her, nodding. "It's okay. You're still my best friend, and I love you," I said, making myself smile at her.

"You're my best friend, too. Thank you for knowing that. But what does that mean for me and Lucas?" she asked.

"I don't know. I guess you guys just have to figure that out," I said, closing my locker.

She nodded at me. Then she put her arms out and pulled me into a hug. I would have hugged her back, but my books were stuck in my hands.

"You're the best friend I could ever have," she said. "Thank you."

I nodded and smiled at her as we pulled away from our hug.

"Now go to class before you're late," I said. "You have to go all the way to the art room."

She nodded and smiled at me before walking down the hallway.

I breathed a sigh of relief. _Half of the hard part's over_.

I looked up and saw Farkle standing at his locker. He had obviously been watching our conversation. When he saw I was looking at him, he walked over to me.

"How did that go?" he asked.

"Better than I thought it would," I said. "I just…told her she's allowed to feel. And that they're going to be together. And that's it."

Farkle smiled at me. "You're really brave for doing that."

"Yeah, well. My mom told me that my name means 'courage,' so I thought I should do _something_ to earn that," I said, half-joking.

"You still have to talk to Lucas?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm not looking forward to it."

He nodded. "But you have courage, right? You'll be great. Everything'll turn out the way it's supposed to be."

"Do you really believe that?" I asked him.

"I have to," he said. "It might be a little too illogically on the optimistic side, but I have to believe it. Otherwise, what's the point?"

I nodded in agreement. "You're right. To shop class?"

He smiled and offered his arm.

I smiled back and linked my arm with his.

xxxXXXxxx

After school, I stood at my locker and waited for Lucas. Since his locker was next to mine, I knew he would walk past me.

I was right, and after a few minutes, I saw him headed for his locker. I walked up to him and he stopped abruptly.

"Hey, Lucas," I said quietly.

"Hey," he said awkwardly.

"I wanted to talk to you. Can we talk now?"

"Sure. Just let me put my books in my locker."

I nodded and let him walk past me. I turned around and sat at the bench in the hallway.

I heard his locker close and then he came to sit by me.

I looked up at him. "I'm sorry about running out on you guys the other day," I began.

He shook his head. "It's fine. Maya and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And then your dad made us leave. We were worried about you."

"Thank you, but I'm okay. I just…when you were talking, I realized something, and I couldn't understand what was going on at the time. But I understand now. And I'm okay with it."

"Okay with what?" he asked, obviously confused.

"You and Maya," I said, giving him a small smile. My heart fell a little bit.

"Me and Maya?" he asked.

"Yeah. I saw the way you talk about her, Lucas. You really like her. It's okay. And what's great is that she really likes you too."

He just looked at me and didn't say anything for a second. Then he said, "She does?"

"Yeah. And I realized that I'm okay with it. You like her way more than you ever liked me. And that's okay."

"Riley, I still like you," he said seriously. He reached for my hand. I looked down at our hands and realized I didn't feel anything when he touched me. I sighed.

"I know," I said, taking my hand back. "But it's not enough, Lucas. You like her. It's okay. You guys can be together."

He looked at me again, crinkling his eyes.

I knew if I kept talking, I'd start to get upset, so I stood up and turned to face him.

"Bye, Lucas," I said softly. I turned around and walked into the hallway.

It felt weird. It was like when I said goodbye to him, I was letting go. It felt freeing. I opened the doors to leave the school and stepped out into the sun.

 **So…Riley's free now. Or is she? Hmm…**

 **Please review and tell me what you think! Do you think Riley's really free? What will Lucas and Maya do?**

 **Also, there was a guest review left and they said they want Rucas to happen, and I wanted to reply. So here's my reply! I am writing what I think would happen. Not necessarily what I want to happen, but what I think will happen. Now, my story is very much accelerated compared to the show, however. I don't think we'll see anything like this storyline in the show until Bay Window and then season 3. But, if the story was continuing from New Year, this is how I think it would happen. I like to say I don't ship anyone. But I do agree Rucas is a cute couple. Hang in there. I think the story will be what I see as truthful.**

 **On that note, I'm so thankful for each and every one of you who read my stories! Thank you so much! It means a lot to me. And I know some of you may not ship what happens in the story, but like I said, I think it's truthful. I hope you read even if what's happening isn't what you ship. (I'm not saying what's happening yet, though! You'll have to keep reading to find out!)**

 **Alright, that's a long enough note. Thank you so much! Please review!**

 **Stay awesome!**


	5. Feelings

**Yeah, so I just wrote another chapter tonight. I was all excited and ready for it lol. Anyways, here we go. This is going to be a crazy chapter…that's for sure. Buckle up (for the ride to Funville!). Haha, Boy Meets World reference. Seriously though. Get ready for this. "It'll splulge your brain!" HAHA, Girl Meets World reference! Wow, I'm just on fire with these references today…for real now. Let's get this craziness started.**

When I opened my front door, I saw that Maya was already sitting at the table with my parents.

"Hey, guys. Maya, you're here already?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you, but your parents said you weren't home yet. And they figured you'd be home in a second, so I just sat here and waited," Maya explained.

"Oh," I said, setting my backpack down. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked as I walked over to her.

"Important stuff. Let's go," she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the hallway.

I let her pull me to my room and sat down at my bay window.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't know what to do about Lucas. You didn't exactly tell me what you thought I should do," Maya said.

"Go for it, Maya," I encouraged her. "Tell him you want to go out on a date or something.

"But I don't know if I can do that, Riley. I mean I don't know if I can do that to you. You're my best friend and I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have."

I shook my head. "No, Maya, you didn't. I told you, everything's fine. I want you to be happy."

"But I don't want to go out with him if you still like him! That's not fair!"

"Actually, you know what?" I asked.

"What?"

"I don't even know if I do anymore."

"What?" she asked again, confused.

"I talked to him today…and I didn't feel anything. Except sadness. That was it. I think I'm fine, Maya. Really."

"I hope that's true and you're not just saying that," she said, not trusting my story.

"It's really true. I promise," I said to convince her.

"Then…what do I do?"

I sighed. "Tell him how you feel and then do something about it, Maya. You already asked him out once before, remember?" I said, thinking about my first date.

"Yeah, but I wasn't really going out with him. I was trying to make him go out with you," she said. "That's different."

"Well, just pretend it's not. After all, you already know each other. It'll be fun. You'll have fun. He's a good guy," I said, looking down.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Maya asked me, looking concerned.

"Yes," I said, for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

"One hundred percent sure? I can't do this unless you're one hundred percent sure."

"I'm a hundred percent sure," I repeated.

Maya smiled at me, and I saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. I could tell she was happy.

"Thank you, Riley," she said quietly.

"Hey, you're my best friend. And I would do anything for you. Ring power?" I said, putting my index finger in the air.

She chuckled and put her finger in the air too. "Ring power."

xxxXXXxxx

I sent Maya home after our talk in order to let her prepare to talk to Lucas. She said she'd have him over for dinner and talk to him about it.

I was glad for her. I actually was. I still felt a tinge of sadness, but I was happy for Lucas and Maya. They both deserve to be happy.

I went through the night feeling relieved that the drama was over, but sad that Lucas and I were officially done. I was in kind of a daze, thinking about everything that had happened in just the last few days. It was a lot.

After dinner, I was sitting on the couch with my family (it was American Idol night) when my phone vibrated. I looked at it and it was Maya.

 _ **I think that went well**_ , she said.

 _ **I'm glad. What happened?**_ I replied back.

 _ **I think we're dating now!**_

I saw that message and then felt a lump in the back of my throat. I tried to push it away, but it wouldn't leave. Then I felt my eyes stinging like tears were going to come soon. I blinked fast to try to make them go away, but I couldn't.

I stood up as calmly as I could in order to not let my family see, and walked toward the hallway.

"I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm a little tired," I said, trying to hide my face.

"Are you sure?" Dad asked. "There's still a half hour left."

"Yeah, I'll watch it later. Goodnight," I said, walking into the hallway.

I walked quickly into my room and shut the door quietly, glad I'd made it before the tears came.

And then they did.

I slid down to sit on the floor and pulled my knees to me. I tried to make myself stop, but I couldn't.

 _Why am I crying? I don't even have feelings for him anymore. I didn't even care when he tried to hold my hand. What is going on?_

I finally decided I lost the battle, and I just let myself cry. It only lasted a few minutes, and then I just sat there silently for a while. I just looked around my room and enjoyed everything being calm.

Eventually I stood up and went over to my bay window. I looked at my phone again and quickly scrolled past the message from Maya so I could text Farkle.

 _ **Hey, are you busy?**_ I asked him.

Within a few seconds, I got a reply. _**Nope. What's up?**_

 _ **Can you come over?**_

I looked outside and saw that it was already dark.

 _ **Actually, can I just call you? It's dark out already.**_

 _ **I'm already on my way**_ , he said.

I smiled. I hated that he would walk alone at night in New York City. I hated it. I couldn't stand the idea of something happening to him. But I also knew that he made sure to stay in the most brightly lit streets with the most people. And I knew that he was so concerned about me that he would walk at night just to get to me. As selfish as I felt for thinking that, I loved that he would do that for me.

A few minutes passed and then he knocked on my window.

I saw him and then opened the window. He crawled through and sat down next to me.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Not really," I said, feeling the waterworks beginning again. "I told Maya and Lucas to be together. But Maya texted me and now I think they actually are and I…I don't want them to be together. And I've been crying all the time and I can't stand letting myself be like this. I feel so pathetic. This is ridiculous that I would sit here and cry all the time. And I should be happy for them. I told them to do this. I should be happy, but I'm not." By the time I'd finished saying all that, I was crying again, as pathetic as it felt.

"It's okay. You're going to be okay," Farkle said softly. He pulled me into a hug and I was glad he was there. He let me just cry, and it felt nice to have someone there to tell me everything was okay.

Finally I finished crying- I felt like there was no tears left. I sat up and saw that there were tear stains all over the shoulder of his shirt.

"I'm sorry, Farkle. All I ever do is sit here and cry."

"No, Riley. You can't apologize for feeling. Remember?"

I smiled weakly at him. "Well I can apologize for all the tear stains," I said, trying to make a joke. I tried to wipe away the tears from his shirt.

"Riley, it's fine," he said. He put his hand on his shoulder to stop me.

As soon as his hand touched mine, I jumped back.

"Sorry," I said, taking my hand back. My face felt warmer than it already was.

He just looked at me, seemingly studying my face.

"You don't have to keep apologizing to me, Riley. I'm here because I want to be. I've always been here, and you know I'll always take care of you."

"I know," I said, nodding. "Thank you."

"I'm just sorry you have to deal with this. I know how hard it is for you. Liking someone and then they end up liking your best friend," he said, looking down at his hands. "You feel like you're the second choice. Like something better came along. But the person who came along was your best friend. And you can't hate them. You can't hate any of them. Because they're your friends. And even though you could never have the relationship you want, you'll keep them in your life. Because you love her too much to let her go away."

"What?" I asked, crinkling my eyes at that last part.

"What?" he asked.

"You just said her."

A look of panic came across his face. "No, I didn't. I said that-"

"Farkle, you said her. Who are you talking about?"

"I was talking about you and Lucas."

"No you weren't," I said, shaking my head. "You weren't talking about me at all, were you?"

"Riley, of course I was. Who else would I be talking about? I just slipped up is all."

I shook my head again. Then it hit me. I gasped out loud. "Farkle! You like Maya!"

He looked at me and crinkled his eyes, studying me again.

Then he stood up. "I have to go," he said. He quickly opened the window and climbed out. I watched him run down the street, trying to get as far away as possible.

I closed the window and sat back down.

 _Wow. Farkle likes Maya too. This whole time, he's been hiding his feelings for Maya. This is bad. Really bad._

 **Ooh! Juicy stuff! And Riley doesn't even know the half of it.**

 **Yeah, I know, I just published another chapter, but I was still just so excited! I love this chapter! Some crazy stuff's about to happen…trust me.**

 **I hope you liked it! And please leave a review! I appreciate those IMMENSELY- more than you know!**

 **Thank you so much! :)**

 **Stay awesome!**


	6. The Truth

**This is a very interesting chapter. The only think I ask is that if you read, please take the time to leave a review! Trust me, this is a crazy chapter, and I want to hear what you think!**

 **So if you like this story (or even if you don't, but you're just reading), PLEASE review! It's the only feedback I get, so your review is super important! It can kind of be a trade- I'll keep writing if you review!**

The next day at school was weird. Farkle avoided me all day. He seemed upset that I found out about him liking Maya. I don't think he wanted anybody to know. Whenever he saw me looking at him, he turned away and started doing something else.

That wasn't even the weirdest part. All day, Maya and Lucas were acting weird around each other. Maya didn't call him any nicknames, and Lucas didn't say much to her. It was like our entire friend group was in a stage of awkwardness. I didn't know what to do.

I rode the subway home from school that day, thinking about all these things.

 _I have to fix this._

I took my phone out and texted Farkle. _**Farkle, you can't pretend I don't know. You have to tell her. That's what you wanted me to do with Lucas.**_

After a few minutes, I got a reply from Farkle. _**Please, Riley, just leave this one alone. I'm busy right now. I'll talk to you later.**_

I sighed and put my phone back in my pocket. I had to do something. Then a thought occurred to me.

 _Maybe the reason why this is so awkward when we're all together is because we haven't talked about this._

I took my phone out again and started a group message with Maya, Farkle, and Lucas.

 _ **Everybody come over to my place tonite. How about 7?**_

 __Maya replied, _ **I'll be there! :)**_

Lucas replied, _**7 it is**_.

There was no reply from Farkle after a few minutes. I decided to send him a private message.

 _ **Farkle, if you don't come, I'll tell Maya myself**_.

A minute went by and then he replied, _**Fine. But you say nothing about it. Or I won't come.**_

I scrunched up my face. He knew I'd rather have him come and not say anything than not come at all. _**Fine**_.

This was going to be an interesting night.

xxxXXXxxx

I sat in my room, waiting for my guests to arrive. I felt like the butler on the movie, "Clue," just waiting for my hidden agenda to begin.

Maya got there first, as I expected her to. She opened up the window and sat next to me.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

"So what's this about?" she asked.

"You'll see," I said mysteriously.

"Riley, I swear, if this is you trying to fix everything again, I-"

"Don't worry. No harm will come to you. But I'm hoping something'll happen."

She just sighed and leaned back.

I grinned. She knew I was plotting, and there was nothing she could do to stop me.

Lucas came next. I heard the doorbell ring and knew it was him. Farkle and Maya always come through the window, but Lucas doesn't like to. He thinks it's more proper to ring the doorbell and enter through the door.

He knocked on my bedroom door and I said, "Come in!"

He opened the door and said, "Hey guys."

I said, "Hey!" Maya only nodded.

"What's going on, Riley?" he asked, coming to sit by me.

"I just thought it'd be better if we all got together."

"Oh," he said, nodding.

It got awkward again.

"This is what I'm talking about. I'm hoping we'll fix this," I said.

Maya gave me a smile for my efforts. Lucas nodded.

"We're just waiting for Farkle? Is he coming?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," I said, getting anxious. "I hope he shows up. He didn't want to."

"Why not?" Lucas asked. "And what was up with him today?"

I looked at both of them. "I can't really say. But I'm hoping he'll explain everything tonight."

Finally I heard a tap on the window. I looked and saw Farkle. I opened the window.

"Hey, Farkle," I greeted him.

"Hi," he said, somewhat coldly.

"Alright, let's begin," I said, feeling like the butler again. "We…need to talk about this, guys. Today was awful. And I can't stand seeing us all act like this! We need to lay everything on the table, right now!"

"What do we have to lay on the table?" Maya asked.

"The truth! All of us have been hiding a secret. Every single one of us. Or we wouldn't be acting like this. And I will not allow any of us to leave until we all spill the beans!"

They all looked around, not knowing what to do.

"Now who's going to be the first one to tell the truth?" I asked. Nobody volunteered.

"Fine," I said. "Then I'll go. But first let me say that no matter what is said here, we're friends. No matter what."

Everyone nodded. "We know, Riley," Maya said.

"Okay," I began. "Then I'll tell you my secret. I…" I took a deep breath. "Maya, I told you that I was fine with you and Lucas dating. And I was. But…as soon as you told me you might start dating…I wasn't good. And I should be. I told you that I was, and I don't know why I all of a sudden wasn't. But I think I'll be okay eventually. I think I just need some time."

Maya said, "Riles, why didn't you tell me? I need you to tell me these things."

Lucas turned to me. "Riley, I think you're right. I actually think I need a little time too. I just…I need to figure things out."

"What do you have to figure out, Lucas?" Maya asked, confused.

"I like you Maya. I do. I just need to take some time. Everything's been so fast. It was me and Riley. Then it wasn't. Then it kind of was. And then it wasn't. And then it was you and me. And I just need time for things to settle down. Maybe instead of a date we can start with…hanging out?"

Maya smiled. "I'd like that."

That made me smile too. She was smiling at him the way she did before. She was happy.

"See?" I said, looking around. "Just by talking, we figured one thing out. Good. So Lucas and I went. Maya? Farkle?"

Farkle looked at me and then shook his head.

I sighed. "Maya?"

"I kind of agree too," Maya said quietly. "I feel like everything's happening so fast. And I like that we're just going to hang out. I think that's for the best."

Lucas nodded and smiled at her.

I turned to Farkle. "Farkle, that just leaves you."

He looked at me and shook his head.

"Farkle, come on. Everyone else said what their secret was. We can't lie to each other. You're the one who told me that," I said.

"Come on, Farkle," Maya chimed in. "We told all our and now it's your turn."

"No, I don't think I have anything to share," he said, shaking his head again.

I gave him a look. "Farkle, I know you have something to share, okay? Please. It's okay to tell everyone."

He looked at me for a second. "Is it, Riley? Because I don't think you really know what you're talking about."

"Farkle, I'm just trying-"

"No. You're trying to make me say words that _you_ put in my mouth. I'm not saying anything!"  
"Well it's true, isn't it?" I asked him.

"What's true?" Lucas asked.

I looked at Farkle. He said nothing. I angrily turned back to Lucas. "Farkle likes someone."

"Riley!" Farkle yelled at me. "You said you wouldn't say anything!"

"So you like somebody?" Maya asked, grinning. "Who is it?"

He was almost glaring at me now. "Farkle, what's the big deal?" I asked incredulously.

"The big deal is that you don't know what's going on, Riley. You think you know, but you don't know. So stop."

"You like somebody. Is that or is that not true?" I asked, getting really angry.

He was definitely glaring now. "True."

"So tell us who it is, Farkle," I demanded.

"You want me to tell you who it is?" he asked.

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

"You!" he yelled before opening the window and crawling outside, leaving us all in shock.

 **AHH! CRAZY! WHAT?!**

 **Okay, I promised a crazy chapter, and I think (I hope) I gave you that! What did you think?!**

 **If you have any thoughts on this, tell me! I love hearing what you guys think! Do you like what's happening? Do you agree with it or no?**

 **Thank you SO much for reading! Let me know!**

 **Stay awesome!**


	7. Realization

**Hey! So the last chapter ended with kind of a cliffhanger. Let's just get right into it! Review!**

After Farkle left, we all just sat in shock for a few seconds.

"Wow," Maya finally said, breaking the silence.

I looked at them with wide eyes, still very much surprised and confused. "What just happened?" I asked them.

Maya shook her head. "You gonna let him leave?"

I looked out the window. He was already walking down the street.

"He's gone," I said. "I…I thought he liked you, Maya."

"Me?" Maya asked with a smirk. "I don't think so, Riley," she said, beginning to laugh.

"I can't believe he never told me," Lucas said.

I looked at him, and he looked just as in shock as me.

"He told me about the person he likes falling for his best friend. I thought he was just saying stuff to me…but this whole time…he was talking about me," I said, still trying to process everything.

"Well what are you going to do?" Maya asked. "Do you like him?" She had a smirk on her face.

I turned to look at her. I tried to make words come out of my mouth, but no words would form.

"Wait, do you like him?" Maya asked seriously. Both she and Lucas were watching for my answer.

"I don't know," I finally said.

She raised her eyebrows. "We are one messed-up group of friends," she said, leaning back against the window.

Then Lucas spoke up. "Is that why you don't like me anymore?"

"No!" I exclaimed. "It's different. I don't feel any butterflies anymore. I just feel like you're…my friend."

"Then why do you need time?" he asked.

"I don't know. I guess to just completely get over everything. I'm so used to just liking you that I need to learn what it's like to not have that."

He nodded and looked down. I couldn't tell if he looked sad or not. Then he looked back up. "Do you have butterflies for Farkle?"

The question caught me off-guard. I thought about when I spend time with Farkle. We have spent a lot of time alone lately. And I blushed a few times, seemingly for no good reason. When we were just sitting there and my mom walked in. When he touched my hand. I remembered how when Lucas touched my hand, I felt nothing; when Farkle touched my hand, it made me jump.

That realization made me gasp.

"What?" Maya asked.

"I do," I said quietly.

"What?" Maya asked again, unable to hear what I'd said.

"I do have feelings for Farkle," I said, this time more loudly. My heart pounded in my chest and my eyes grew wide again.

I looked up and Maya was smirking at me. Lucas was watching me carefully.

"How is this possible?" I asked myself incredulously.

"That's what I'm wondering," Maya chuckled.

That brought a half-smile to Lucas's face.

"But it's _Farkle_ ," I said.

"Yeah," Maya said. "It's Farkle. He's smart and kind and funny and loyal and caring. And he's one of the best friends we've ever had. That's why you like him, Riley."

My eyes crinkled as I thought about this. "But do I really like him?"

Maya sighed. She turned to Lucas and said, "Alright. No offense to guys or whatever, but this is a girl thing. I think Riley and I need to talk."

Lucas nodded. "I was just thinking the same thing." He stood up. "I'll see you guys at school. I hope you figure everything out, Riley."

I could only nod.

He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Maya turned to me. "What do you like about him? Why do you think you like him?"

"All those things you said. And he's been coming over a lot lately to help me with the whole Lucas thing. He's been really great. He was always there. And one time, my mom didn't know he was here, and she opened my door and saw us, and I started blushing like crazy. I don't know why. And then another time, he touched my hand, and it felt like…like an electrical spark or something. And I had to pull my hand away. And I blushed again. Does that mean I like him?"

She looked at me for a second and then smiled. "I'm pretty sure."

"But how would I not know that when it happened?" I asked.

"Probably because you still thought you liked Lucas. I mean you said yourself that you don't know what it's like to not like him."

"When Lucas touched my hand, I didn't feel that like I did with Farkle."

She nodded. "I think that's a pretty big hint right there."

"Really?" I asked, still confused.

"I can't tell you what you feel, Riles. You have to figure that out. But everything you're telling me sounds like you like him."

"What do you feel like with Lucas?" I asked her.

I think she debated telling me this, because she didn't answer for a few seconds. Finally she said, "I feel safe. I feel like he understands me in a way that no one else ever has, not even you. And you know everything about me- you're my best friend. And when he touches me, I feel like I can't breathe."

I nodded. "I've had that too. Where I felt like I couldn't breathe. One time I just stopped breathing," I said, starting to laugh.

She laughed with me. "You really like him."

"You really like Lucas."

She nodded. "I think I do."

"When did you know?" I asked quietly.

"I don't know," she said, thinking. "All of a sudden, one day, it was just…there. And then when I think back to before I knew it, it seems obvious. But it wasn't obvious when it happened. I think I liked him for a long time, but I just didn't know it."

"That sounds like me."

"Yeah."

"Maya?"

"Yeah?" she answered.

"What do I do now?"

She chuckled. "You know, I came to you with this exact same question like yesterday."

I sighed. "I know. But I need your help."

"I can't tell you what to do, Riley. But I know he would probably be happy to know that you like him too."

"But do you think I'm ready to tell him? Like I said, I'm still getting over Lucas."

She started laughing again. "Honey, I think you're over Lucas. You just said you felt nothing with Lucas. But you felt something with Farkle."

"Do you think I'm ready to tell him?"  
"I don't know," she said nonchalantly. "Maybe. But either way, you're going to have to talk to him. He's upset now."

"You're right. He's really mad at me."

"Yeah. Why don't you tell him to come back?" she suggested with a smile.

"I don't think he'd come back."

"I wouldn't be so sure. He likes you, remember? I bet he'd come back."

"Maybe I should give him time to cool off," I shrugged.

She gave me a look. "It'll just get awkward."

I sighed, exasperated with the drama that's happened in the last few days. "Fine!"

I got out my phone and typed, _**Can you come back please?**_

I quickly erased it. _Too forward._

 _ **I need to talk to you.**_

 _No. Too serious._

"What do I say?"

"You're going to _text_ him?" she asked. "No. You need to call him."

"I don't want to do that! I'm too awkward with stuff like that!"

"If you want him to come back, you need to call him."

"What do I say?" I asked.

"Just tell him you're sorry for forcing him to say anything. And tell him you really need to talk to him now. Tell him it's important."

I nodded and took a deep breath. I clicked on his contact on my phone and looked at the number. I couldn't bring myself to click the phone icon to call him.

I stared at the phone, trying to gather the courage to click it when Maya snatched the phone from me, clicked the icon, and gave it back.

"Maya!" I complained.

She pointed at the phone. I glared at her and put the phone up to my ear. It rang a lot, and then on probably the last ring, he picked up.

"What, Riley?" he answered, obviously not wanting to talk to me.

I sighed with relief that he answered.

"Farkle, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry that I made you do that. It wasn't my place."

He didn't say anything.

"I really wanted to talk to you, though. Do you think you could come back?"

Maya was mouthing words to me. I looked at her, confused. Then I remembered.

"It's important, Farkle," I said. Maya nodded, relieved that I'd gotten the message.

He didn't answer after a few seconds. "Farkle, please," I said.

I heard him sigh. "Fine. I'll come back. But I don't want to talk about this in front of Maya or Lucas, okay?"

"Lucas already left and Maya's leaving too."

I looked up at Maya and she nodded. She crawled out the window, leaving just me in the room.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Farkle said, still angry.

"Okay. Thank you."

He hung up on me.

I put my phone down and looked around. _What is going on right now?_ I asked myself. _I thought Farkle liked Maya. Now I found out he likes me. And I like him? This is crazy._

xxxXXXxxx

It was a few minutes until I saw Farkle at the window. I opened it to let him in.

He crawled through the window and then sat next to me.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry, Farkle," I said softly.

He just looked at me. I could see pain in his eyes.

"I never wanted to make you upset."

"I know. But you shouldn't have done that," he said, still angry. "I didn't want to tell you…I mean I didn't want you to find out like that."

"That's why you knew what I was going through. Because you went through it too."

He nodded.

"But why would you keep coming to me and helping me? All I did was talk about Lucas. You couldn't have felt good about that."

"I know. But it's like I said. I'd rather be around you and have it hurt a little than not be around you at all," he said shyly, looking away. My heart dropped a little when he said that.

"I had no idea, Farkle. And I'm so sorry I made you feel like that. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Riley, you understand this better than anybody. I didn't tell you for the same reason you didn't tell Maya you still liked Lucas. Because I wanted you to be happy. And you had a lot going on, and I didn't want to make it any more complicated."

"But you told me to tell Maya. You're the one who said we have to tell the truth!"

"I know I said that. But I was trying to help you. You didn't need me complicating things."

"Farkle, you deserve to be happy too," I said, looking into his eyes. My heart started beating faster. "I just wish you would have told me."

"Why? So then you would've had more to figure out? So then you couldn't come to me either because then I was in this whole mess? Trust me, it would've made things worse."

"Telling me your feelings does not make things worse."

"Yeah, well, it worked out for you," he said, looking away.

"Farkle," I said, trying to get his attention.

"What?" he asked, irritated.

"I like you too," I blurted out. My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest.

His eyes grew wide and he turned to look at me.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"I…like you too, Farkle," I said quietly.

He studied my face for a minute. "But you like Lucas."

I shook my head. "I don't have butterflies for him anymore. I get butterflies…around you," I said awkwardly.

Farkle looked down, seemingly trying to process what I told him.

"You do?" he asked me, looking up.

I nodded.

A small smile came to his face. "Wow."

"What?" I asked him.

"I never thought this day would happen," he said.

I softly smiled back.

"So what does this mean?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Do you want to go on a date with me?" he asked.

My heart skipped a beat and I couldn't keep a smile off my face.

"I'd love to," I answered.

That brought a big smile to his face too.

"Great," he said. "I'll figure it out and then let you know."

"Okay," I said, still smiling.

"I'd probably better go home. It's getting late and it's dark."

I nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Farkle said, standing up.

I nodded again. "See you tomorrow."

Then he leaned over and softly kissed my cheek.

He quickly crawled out the window.

I couldn't stop smiling, and my cheeks were as red as tomatoes, but I loved it.

 **Awww, Farkle's so cute! I love how adorable he is. What did you guys think?**

 **Pretty please leave a review! I love reviews!**

 **Thank you for reading this chapter!**

 **Stay awesome!**


	8. Spilling the Beans

**Hello! Hope your week was awesome. And I hope this next week is even better.**

 **And hopefully you enjoyed the last chapter! Don't worry- the drama's not over yet! ;)**

 **Here's the next chapter!**

I woke up to someone nudging my shoulder.

"No," I grumbled, pulling the blanket over my head.

"Riley, get up!" I heard Maya yell at me.

I whined and then slowly pulled my blanket down from my head.

"What?" I asked, lifting my head up. I looked at the clock. Six in the morning. I shouldn't be up for at least another half hour.

"You need to tell me what happened last night!"

I scowled and let my head fall back down to my pillow.

"Riley, I'm serious! You told me to leave, which I did, and now I've returned to find out what happened! Let's go! Rise and shine!"

"Let me sleep until my alarm and then I'll tell you," I mumbled.

"Okay, fine."

It was quiet.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!" Maya yelled obnoxiously.

"Maya, no!"

I heard her scowl.

"Ring power!" she exclaimed.

I crinkled my eyes, knowing she had me. _Wait. I'm not wearing the ring._

"Won't work," I said, holding my hand up to display my ring-less fingers.

"Fine," she said. After a few seconds, I felt her grab my hand.

I looked up. She was putting the ring on my finger.

"Maya!" I yelled, trying to pull my hand back. She pulled me to stand.

"There!" she said, letting my hand go.

I looked down and saw I was now wearing my friendship ring.

I glared at her.

"Ring power!" she exclaimed with a grin.

"Fine. You win. I'm up," I said grumpily, sitting back down on my bed. I switched my alarm off.

"What happened?" she asked excitedly, sitting next to me.

I sighed and yawned.

"I don't know. I mean, he came over and we talked."

"You told him you liked him, right?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, I told him," I said, exasperated.

"What did he say?"

"Well, he was glad. And…he asked me if I wanted to go on a date with him," I said, unable to stop a smile from spreading across my face.

"Riley! That's so awesome!" Maya said with a grin. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. We didn't set anything up yet," I said, still smiling.

"Wow," Maya said, shaking her head. "Good thing I made you do that, huh?" she grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "You're right though. Thank you for always pushing me to do stuff like this."

"Anytime, Riles. That's what I'm here for. So, did anything else happen that I should know about?"

"Well…he kissed me on the cheek when he left," I said, smiling at the memory.

"Aw! That's so cute!" she cooed. "Little Riley's growing up right before my eyes."

"Yeah. I wonder what it's going to be like at school," I said.

"I don't know. Don't make it awkward though. We're trying to get out of that."

I nodded. Then my stomach growled. "Are you hungry?"

"Always," Maya said, standing up.

I opened my door and we went to the kitchen. My mom was standing at the toaster, waiting for the toast to spring up.

She turned toward the hallway when she heard us coming.

"Good morning, girls. Isn't it a little early for you to be up already? Usually I have to drag you out of bed," she said, walking to us.

"Yeah, Maya came over to wake me up early," I said, giving Maya a look. She shrugged at me.

"How come?" Mom asked.

Maya turned to look at me and grinned.

"What?" Mom asked, not understanding.

"Mom, you know how we had that talk the other day about you and dad? And you said I shouldn't go looking for anything? And how love would come when I least expect it?"

"Yeah?" she said, starting to smile.

"Well…it was least expected," I said.

Mom gasped excitedly. "Honey, what happened?" she asked, grinning.

"Last night I realized that I had feelings for someone else…and he has feelings for me too," I said kind of awkwardly.

"Farkle!" she exclaimed.

I crinkled my eyes. "How did you know?"

She smiled at me. "Honey, I could tell. I have an eye for things like that."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" I asked, confused.

"I didn't want to mess with your feelings. Just in case I was wrong."

I sighed. "I feel like everyone else knows what's going on around here and I'm just left clueless."

Just then, my dad walked out of the hallway behind us.

He was still in his pajamas, having obviously just woken up.

"Good morning, guys," he said, trying to figure out what was going on. He walked over to mom and slipped his arm around her waist, kissing her good morning.

"Good morning, honey," he said.

"Good morning, Cory," Mom said. She turned to me. "You think _you're_ clueless?" She shook her head and pointed at Dad.

"What?" he asked her.

"Nothing, honey," she said, patting his shoulder. I watched her walk past him and chuckle.

I turned to Maya, wondering if she saw that.

She looked at me, seeming equally as confused.

"What do you girls want for breakfast?" Mom asked.

"Um…I don't know," I said, still unsure of what was happening.

I went to the table to sit down and Maya followed me.

"Pancakes?" Mom offered.

"Sure," I said. "That sounds good. Thanks."

She nodded and went to start making the batter.

I looked at my dad and he was just watching us all.

"Am I missing something?" he asked.

Maya turned to look at me ominously.

I glared at her, trying to tell her to knock it off. I wasn't ready to tell my dad yet.

Maya raised her eyebrows and looked away slowly and dramatically.

"What's going on here?" Dad asked, looking at Maya and me.

"Oh, nothing, Mr. Matthews," Maya said, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

I looked at her screen and watched her start playing Bejeweled.

"Riley, are you going to tell me?" he asked.

"Everything's fine, Dad." I gave him a fake smile.

Mom turned around, raising her eyebrows at me. Dad turned to face her, obviously having seen me looking at her.

She looked at him and smiled. Then she returned to the bowl of batter.

Dad turned back to me, his eyes crinkled.

"Alright. Spill," he said, looking at me.

I looked at Maya. She was looking at me expectantly.

I sighed. "Fine," I said. "I was telling Mom this right before you came in. But remember what we talked about the other day? About you two? And you guys said to not look for a relationship like yours? And that it would come when I least expect it?"

"Yeah?"

"Well last night, we figured out that I like Farkle. And he likes me," I said quickly, trying to make it seem like no big deal so that he didn't freak out.

Dad raised his eyebrows and took a step back. He looked at me for a second. Then a small smile came across his face. "Oh, that was funny. Okay. So what's the real news?" he said, laughing. He looked at my mom. She just smiled at him and nodded knowingly.

He watched her for a second and then turned to me. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Yeah."

He quickly looked around at the three of us. "Maya, you're supposed to warn me about stuff like this!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry Mr. Matthews, but I was blindsided by this one. I had no idea."

"Riley, why didn't you tell anyone?!" he exclaimed.

"Well I'm telling you now. It just happened last night. Mom said she knew the whole time."

He turned to Mom with wide eyes.

"You knew?" he asked.

"I had a suspicion," she said to him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

"Because of this! You're freaking out! It's not such a big deal! So she likes Farkle. It's not the end of the world, Cory. Plus I didn't know for sure and I didn't want this to happen if _she_ didn't even know about it yet."

"What do you mean, _she_ didn't know about it?" he asked.

"She's liked him for a while, Cory. And it's been pretty obvious he likes her too. Haven't you noticed? They're in your classroom every day."

"No! I did not notice! How long did you know?"

"A few days at least. I mean, I thought about it a few weeks ago, but I didn't _really_ think so until a few days ago. I walked in her room and Farkle was there and she was blushing like crazy!" Mom said, laughing.

"Why am I so out of the loop around here?" he said to all of us.

"Because you freak out too much," Mom chuckled.

"I do _not_ freak out," he scoffed. He turned to me. "Riley, you and _Farkle_? I thought I had to protect you from Lucas. Now I have to protect you from _Farkle_? And I still have to keep Lucas in line anyway, because now who _knows_ what's going on with _you_!" he exclaimed, pointing to Maya.

I looked at Maya to see her chuckling, obviously enjoying the display.

He turned back to my mom. "Topanga, why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry, honey," she said, patting his cheek. "Work on not freaking out so much. Then I'll tell you more stuff. Kay?" she asked with a cheeky grin.

He nodded slowly, pouting.

"Wait, there's more?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"Not right now, honey," she said.

"So is there more that you're just not telling me? Or are you saying that you don't have anything to tell me right now?"

"I'm saying that right now, I have nothing I want to tell you. Later, I may discover that I do have something I want to tell you. Don't worry, sweetie. Go get ready for work," she said, turning back to the pancakes.

Dad looked around, defeated. "But-"

He stopped himself. He turned around and went into the hallway dejectedly.

"That was fun," Maya said, grinning.

Mom chuckled. "Definitely."

 **What did you guys think? I know, no more with Farkle in this chapter :/**

 **But Maya always has to be the first to know! The best friend always comes first!**

 **And I figured it was time for some Corpanga. (Always time for Corpanga :p) What do you think Topanga's talking about?**

 **THE PLOT THICKENS!**

 **Please review! Thank you!**

 **Stay awesome!**


	9. Creating Peace

Maya and I walked into class and sat down. My dad was already in there, writing on the board. He nodded at us as we came in.

"Hello again, Dad," I greeted him.

"Hello, Riley," he said quickly, turning back to the board.

I looked at Maya. She seemed to be enjoying watching him freak out over this. I rolled my eyes.

Lucas came in next.

"Hey, guys," he said, coming to stand by us.

"Good morning, Lucas," I said.

"Hey, Lucas," Maya added.

He sat down in his seat.

"You know, I'm glad things are finally going back to normal," he said with a smile.

"Me too," I said, smiling back. I turned to face the front and then saw Farkle walking in.

My heart skipped a beat and my mind was instantly filled with anxiety. _What's he going to act like? Will Dad freak out? Probably. Should I act differently now toward Farkle?_

Farkle smiled at me softly and I smiled back. He walked to his desk and I turned to look at him.

"Good morning," I said, still smiling.

"Good morning, Riley," he said, seeming to stare at me for a few seconds.

I broke the trance by turning around. I then saw my dad watching me intensely. His eyebrows were furrowed and his face reflected a mixture of confusion and irritation.

"Or maybe things aren't quite back to normal," I heard Lucas say. I turned around to look at Lucas.

"We'll see," I said.

"Alright, class. Let's start our lesson for today," Dad said.

I took a deep breath, trying to prepare myself for what was to come.

"The United Nations was formed in 1945, at the end of World War II. Does anybody know what the United Nations does? Anyone?"

I turned around to see Farkle's hand up.

"Anyone at all?" Dad asked, looking around the classroom. Farkle shook his hand in the air.

Dad scowled and then said, "Farkle?"

"The United Nations is a worldwide organization that works to create peace among all countries," Farkle stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes," Dad confirmed. "The UN started with the core four- the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and China. They were allies during World War II, and they fought against Germany, Japan, and other countries on the side of the Nazis. What not a lot of people know, however, is that the UN actually came from another organization called the League of Nations. This was a group a lot like the UN, and they wanted world peace. The difference was that the League of Nations allowed another world war to go on. It was obviously ineffective. Now, the UN has managed to go on for over 70 years without a world war."

Farkle raised his hand.

"Yes, Farkle," Dad said.

"If the UN is so effective, why are there still wars?"

"Well, to begin with, not everyone is fully in the UN. Not everyone agrees with all the policies. And sometimes there are arguments that can't be resolved so easily. So what do you guys think? Is the UN a success?"

All of us in the class just sort of looked around at each other.

"That depends on how you define, 'success,'" Farkle said.

"That's right," Dad said, pointing at him. "To some, this organization is the answer to their prayers. To others, it's just like the League of Nations- overall ineffective. So that's your assignment. I would like a one-page report on whether or not you think the United Nations is successful. Obviously there will be differing opinions in the class, but I want you to fight for your side. Tell me why you're right. It'll be due next Wednesday."

There was a collective groan in the class, but I heard a "Yay," from behind me.

I turned around and Farkle had a grin on his face.

When he saw me looking at him, he smiled. I smiled back.

xxxXXXxxx

After class, Farkle walked out with me. I could feel my dad's eyes burning into the back of my head, but I just kept walking.

"So," I began.

"So," he repeated.

I sighed. "Farkle, I don't want this to be awkward. We can't let it be. Okay? Please don't let this get awkward. We've always been able to talk to each other. And I don't want that to change."

He smiled at me. "I don't want that to change either."

I nodded. "Good. I know things are different now, but I always want to be able to talk to you."

"That's one of the things I really love about us, Riley. We can always talk to each other."

I smiled and felt my cheeks turning a little red at him saying "us." I looked away, embarrassed, and opened my locker. I began getting my books out.

He grabbed my hand to stop me and I immediately turned to look at him. "No matter what, you can always talk to me," he said seriously.

I felt my blush returning as our hands touched. I took my hand back to close my locker.

"Thank you, Farkle. You can always talk to me too."

"Good. Because I was hoping maybe we could go get a smoothie and talk to each other after school today."

I saw he looked a little nervous and it made me smile.

"I would love to," I said, feeling the butterflies again.

He smiled at me and took my hand again.

I smiled back and we headed off to our next class.

 **Alright, I know that chapter was short. Sorry! But I figure since I just updated, it's not too bad.**

 **First, just let me gush- RIARKLE! I love them. And side note: Congrats to the Broncos! And a pretty cool Superbowl halftime performance too!**

 **Please review! :)**

 **Stay awesome!**


	10. First Dates and Mistakes

**Hey everyone! Hope your week was awesome! Mine was a little stressful, but I'm glad it's Friday!**

 **This took a lot of stress off, so I hope it's awesome!**

 **Please review!**

School was over and I had just put all my books away in my locker. I looked around, but there was no sign of Farkle. I walked to the bench and sat down, finding myself slightly smiling at the prospect of what was going to happen- essentially our first date.

I watched as the students all went to their lockers, grabbed their backpacks, and left the school. Soon there were only a few students left, the last of the masses trickling through the hallways.

I began to get a sinking feeling in my stomach.

 _What if he doesn't show up? What if he changed his mind and doesn't really want to take me anywhere?_

"Hey," my thoughts were interrupted. My heart skipped a beat, hoping to see Farkle standing there.

I looked up and saw Dad in front of me.

I sighed. "Hey."

"Whatcha doin?" He sat next to me.

"Just sitting here," I said, not wanting to tell him about Farkle just yet. I didn't need a freak out right now.

"Just sitting here? For what? Why aren't you on your way home?"

I looked up at him and saw concern on his face. I sighed again. I couldn't lie to him.

"I was waiting for Farkle."

"Why?"

"He and I were supposed to get smoothies after school," I said quietly, looking down.

"Oh," my dad said, sitting back against the bench. "Where is he?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"Well this doesn't seem like Farkle. Don't worry. He'll show."

I didn't respond.

"Riley, I wanted to talk to you about this whole thing."

I looked up at him. "About what?"

"I shouldn't have reacted the way I did when you told me about Farkle. And I'm sorry. There are definitely way worse things to hear. I can't get mad at you for liking a boy, Riley. It's going to happen. And I'm proud of you, because you tend to like the good ones."

"Really?" I said, loving to hear that he was proud of me.

He nodded and gave me a small smile.

"I can't complain about Farkle," Dad said. "He's a good kid. And I couldn't think of anybody better for you to go out with." I could see that it somewhat pained him to say that. I chuckled.

"Thank you, Dad."

"Riley?" I heard.

I looked over and saw Farkle standing in front of me. My heart jumped.

"Farkle? I thought you weren't coming," I said, standing.

His eyes grew wide. "Of course I was coming! I just…wanted to give you this." He took his hand from behind his back and held out a beautiful purple flower.

I walked to him. "Wow, Farkle. Thank you!" I couldn't keep a smile off my face as I took the flower. I brought it to my nose and it smelled amazing.

"Is it alright with you if we go get smoothies, sir?" he asked.

I turned around to look at my dad. He had a smile on his face. "That would be fine. Thank you for asking, Farkle. Have a good time."

I smiled at my dad, grateful that he was beginning to accept the fact that I was growing up. He hadn't been absolutely horrible about it lately, but he definitely wasn't accepting. Now he finally seemed to be grasping the concept that children grow up.

Farkle held his arm out and I linked my arm with his. I could feel I was beaming, so excited for what's to come.

xxxXXXxxx

CORY'S POV

I opened the door and walked in, setting my bag on the floor next to the shoes.

Topanga came out of the hallway and smiled.

"Hi, honey," she said, walking to me.

"Hey, Topanga," I said, smiling back. I pulled her waist to me and kissed her hello.

"Where's Riley?" she asked, concern on her face. "When she didn't come home after school I thought she was getting a ride with you." She wrapped her arms around my neck.

I shook my head. "She's with Farkle."

She grinned at me. "Really?"

I nodded. "They went to get smoothies."

"Wow," she said. "I think they're going to be really cute together. Don't you?"

I didn't want to answer that. "Farkle brought her a flower. And he held out his arm like she was a princess. And she was smiling so wide. It was crazy. It was like I watched her become this…this…" I didn't want to say the word.

"Woman?" Topanga filled in, smiling slightly.

"Yeah," I said, the sound of the word disgusting me. It just didn't seem like it should describe my little girl.

"I remember the first time we went out. I felt so grown up. They remind me a lot of us, you know?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Don't see it."

I took my hands back and walked toward the hallway. _I refuse to think that they're like us. Nope. Not gonna happen. She's not ready to get into a serious relationship._

I opened the door to our room and walked in, taking my jacket off.

"Cory," I heard. I turned to look at the doorway and saw Topanga there, crossing her arms at me.

"What?" I complained, sulking over to her.

"You can't do this."

"Do what?"

"This. You can't pretend she's not growing up. She is. One day she's going to be in a serious relationship, whether that's with Farkle or not. You need to accept that. You do want her to be happy, don't you?"

She was giving me a look, making me feel guilty.

I sighed. "Yes, I want her to be happy. I'm working on it, Topanga. I'm trying."

She smiled at me and wrapped her arms around me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"That's all I ask," she said.

"I just don't think she needs to be dating so young."

"Honey, she's in eighth grade. She's almost in high school. Isn't that when we went on our first date?"

I closed my eyes, unwilling to think about the fact that my daughter is on a date right now.

"In fact, if I recall correctly, we first said, 'I love you,' in eighth grade, didn't we?"

I shook my head furiously. _Riley's too young._

"Cory," she said, putting her hands on my face.

"What?" I said, or tried to say. Her hands were squishing my cheeks so it really sound more like, "Wuh?"

"It's because you're worried about her, right?"  
I nodded.

She sighed, looking at me sympathetically.

"Honey, she's going to be alright. She's going to go through some bad things, and she's going to make mistakes. But she learns from them. We raised her well." She was smiling at me, still holding my face.

"I don't want her to go through the bad stuff that we did," I said quietly.

"What bad stuff?" Topanga asked, backing away and starting to laugh.

"You know…we broke up a lot. You almost moved away. And…the ski lodge."

She sighed. "But look where we are now. It was worth going through all of those things. Wasn't it?"

She took a few steps toward me.

"But I wish I could take it back. I wish that so much," I said, looking down. I felt more ashamed thinking about that senior year ski trip than anything else in my entire life.

She didn't say anything for a few seconds. I looked up and she was looking down.

"See? You wish that too. I want to protect Riley from stuff like this."

She looked up at me. "No, honey. As much as it hurt me, and as painful as those memories are, I'm thankful for everything that's happened in our lives. It was because of that trip that I finally realized we were going to be together forever. After that, I felt more secure in our relationship than ever. See the good, Cory."

I shook my head. "I can't. All I can see is what I did. If I could take back one thing…"

"Cory, stop. It doesn't matter. It doesn't still impact us. We grew from that. We basically got _engaged_ because of that. We're _here_ because of that. And I love you. That's what matters."

She leaned forward and kissed me.

"We have this wonderful life together _because_ of the mistakes we made. Because we learned from them," she said. "A great life isn't just handed to you. You have to work at it. If you don't let Riley work at it, you're not giving her the chance to have a great life. You have to let her make mistakes and let her fail sometimes. Because she needs to learn how to get back up."

I didn't respond.

"You don't still feel guilty about the ski lodge, do you?"

I didn't know what to say. "I still wish I didn't do it. I know that we learned from it, but there had to have been a better way to learn those things."

"I know," she said quietly, running her hand through my hair. "But I forgave you a long time ago, Cory. I don't care about what happened there anymore. I know what's in your heart."

She put her hand on my chest.

"And you know what's in mine," she said, putting one of my hands over her heart.

"Remember the forgiveness project at school?"

I nodded.

"You need to forgive yourself."

I didn't know what to say. I just looked in her eyes and saw concern and love.

I brought my hand to her face and stroked her cheek with my thumb.

"I love you," I said. _I have the best wife in the entire world_.

She smiled at me. "I love you, too, sweetie." She leaned up and kissed me and everything felt alright again.

 **Yay, Corpanga! I love them so much (as you probably know or can tell)!**

 **So I feel like I should maybe explain my madness that is this chapter. I really wanted to see how Cory is taking this. And I don't think he'd show how he really feels in front of Riley. So I decided to change the POV. And of course, if there's going to be any Cory POV, there'd better be some Corpanga, so there it is lol.**

 **I hope you liked it! Sorry there wasn't any date in this chapter. Next chapter there will be! We'll get to see what happens with Riley and Farkle (ooh!)!**

 **Please review!**

 **Stay awesome.**


	11. The Date

**Okay. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a super long time. It's been like three weeks. I know, that's bad. I just haven't had a lot of time (as bad as that sounds, it's true).**

 **But here it is! Farkle and Riley's first date! On with the show!**

It was a little awkward. I'd never really been on a date before. I mean, I have, but it was with a group. Now it was just us and I didn't know how to act. I sipped my smoothie quietly, trying to think of something to say.

We both looked at each other and smiled, embarrassed.

An awkward silence once again set in.

"Well, this is fun," I said half-sarcastically, with a smile.

He chuckled at me. "I know, this date stinks. What are we missing?"

"I don't know. Let's just not let there be awkward silence. There was never awkward silence when we weren't on an 'official date.' So let's just be normal," I offered.

"But I don't want things to go back to the way they were before. I want to be able to…" He searched for words but couldn't finish his sentence.

"What?" I asked.

He sighed, obviously frustrated. "I just don't want us to pretend we don't have feelings for each other. We need to be honest and open about it and figure out what we're doing. Because I really like you, Riley."

I felt my cheeks turn red and I couldn't stop a smile from spreading across my face.

"I really like you, too," I said, still somewhat embarrassed.

He started smiling too. "So let's make a new normal."

I nodded. "New normal," I agreed. "What do we do in this new normal?"

"Whatever we want."

"Good. Now can we not be weird with each other?"

"No more weird. Do you like your smoothie?"

"You know I love my smoothie. It's my favorite," I said with a smile. He had immediately known what I would order as soon as we got here.

He smiled back. "I know."

A thought came into my mind, but I wasn't sure if I should say it. I looked at him smiling at me and remembered how he said we needed to be honest and open.

"Farkle, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course," he said.

"You said that you would always love me and Maya the same...so-"

"When did I start to like you?" he interrupted.

"Yeah. I mean, when did you know that things were different?"

He looked down at his smoothie and smiled. "I know I always said that I loved you both the same. And I did, when I said it. But you're the one who's always there for me. You're the one I go to first. And I always, always felt like I should take care of you. So I guess even when I said I loved you both the same, I didn't. It was always you, even when I didn't know it."

"But you don't still like Maya. Not that you shouldn't! Cause she's great and everything, and I love her, but I just…"

"I know," he said, with care in his voice. "Riley, she's not you. And as great as Maya is, it was always different. I love her as a friend. It's different from the way I feel about you. I just didn't know how to distinguish between the two at the time. Trust me. I would never put you in a position like that. I don't mean to talk bad about Lucas- he's my best friend. But I never understood how he could have done that to you. You can't love two people the same. He should've figured that out before all this happened and then you wouldn't have been put in this situation. I promise you, I would never do anything to hurt you."

"Wow. I never thought about it like that before. But you didn't answer my question. When did you realize that?"

He smiled, remembering. "Remember when we tried to save the arts programs for the school?"

"That long ago?" I asked, taken aback.

"Yeah. It was weird. When you were doing your dance," he said, starting to laugh. "All of a sudden I just started smiling and I loved that you were trying so hard to save the program. And that's the first time I started to see you differently."

"Really?"

He laughed. "Yeah."

"What about Smackle?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I still don't know what that was," he laughed. "That was the weirdest experience I've had in my life. I think I was confusing feelings of friendship with feelings of liking someone. And…you were so into this thing with Lucas…and I think it made me feel better to be with someone. So that I didn't have to feel anything when you were with Lucas. And I know that was wrong. It was just like…all of a sudden we were this couple. And I was just playing the part. I don't even know how we really started 'dating,' if that's what you call it," he said with air quotes.

"Well is she okay now?"

"Yeah," he scoffed. "You and Maya aren't the only ones who can swoon over Lucas."

"I knew it!" I said, pointing at him.

"Knew what?"

"I knew she liked him!" I exclaimed.

He chuckled. "Yeah. She always thought you liked me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She always got super possessive when you were there."

"I noticed that!" I said, remembering the New Year party. "How is it possible that there were so many hints and neither of us noticed them?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. But I'm glad we finally did."

I smiled. "Me too."

He looked at my smoothie cup and saw it was empty. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," I said, standing up.

"I'll walk you home," he said, holding his arm out like a gentleman. I grinned and linked my arm with his, feeling like I'd found my prince charming.

We walked outside and it was just starting to get dark. The sky was an ornate masterpiece of pinks, purples, oranges, and reds. There was barely a cloud in sight, and the sidewalk glimmered with the light of the descending sun. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I'd seen in a long time.

"Wow," Farkle said, looking at the sky.

"Yeah," I said in awe. "God made a really beautiful painting tonight."

He looked at me and smiled. "Yeah. He did."

I looked at him curiously. "Did you just say, 'He did?'"

Farkle nodded. "I've done a lot of thinking, and your dad's right."

"Don't tell him that," I said, widening my eyes and shaking my head.

He chuckled. "It's kind of hard to look at how beautiful the world can be and not think that it had to have been created by someone. Some things just work too perfectly together for it to be coincidence."

I nodded. "I know. Thank you for stepping back from the microscope."

He smiled at me. "I don't want to miss the bigger picture."

That made me smile too.

We walked together to my house, silent the rest of the way. It wasn't awkward this time, though. It was just us enjoying each other's company.

We got to my apartment building and I turned to face him. "Do you want to come inside?"

"No, my dad is probably expecting me home since I never went back after school today."

I nodded. "My parents are probably freaking out. No, wait, my _dad_ is probably freaking out."

He chuckled. "Hey, at least he likes me."

"Yeah, he does. Oh no, my dad was right again!" I joked.

We both laughed.

"Thank you, Farkle. I had a really good time. And I'm glad we were kind of back to normal," I said.

"Me too. Except…not the old normal, right?"

I shook my head. "No. The new normal."

"Good," he said. "Cause with the old normal it'd be weird to do this," he said, taking my hand.

My heart started beating faster as our hands touched.

"I don't know, Farkle. You used to be pretty close to breaking the 'normal' boundaries," I said, chuckling. I felt a little nervous, as I could feel tension in the air. "Remember the time you kissed me, but you missed?"

All of a sudden he was leaning toward me and all of a sudden his lips touched mine. It was just a small, soft kiss. My heart was beating wildly in my chest and my face was burning because I was blushing so badly.

"Well, you didn't miss that time," I blurted out.

He was smiling at me. "Good night, Riley."

"Good night," I replied.

He let go of my hand and slowly backed away before turning to walk back down the street.

My heart was still going crazy as I turned to walk up the steps. A grin was plastered on my face and I couldn't make it go away.

I opened the door and walked to our hallway, trying to calm down. By the time I got to our door, I hadn't made any progress. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Everyone turned to look at me.

My family was sitting at the table, watching me curiously.

"Hello, Riley," Mom said, grinning. "I see your date must have gone well."

I nodded. I pushed the door closed and leaned up against it, going over everything in my mind.

"So, uh, what happened?" Dad asked, standing up. He looked at Mom, who was giving him a warning look.

"It was wonderful," I said, feeling like Cinderella coming home from the ball.

"Riley?" Auggie said, crinkling his eyes at me. He walked over to me slowly.

He turned to Mom. "What's wrong with her?"

"What?" I asked, still unable to stop smiling.

"Your face," he answered.

"What's wrong with my face?" I asked.

He just looked disgusted. "Something," he said, shaking his head.

"What did you do?" Dad tried again.

"We just got smoothies. And he walked me home," I answered.

"Oh no," Dad said, turning to look at Mom. "He walked her home!"

"Cory," Mom warned him.

"You know what it means to 'walk someone home' Topanga. I walked you home many times. Remember that?"

"Yes," she responded with a smile. "And it was wonderful."

He just gave her a disgusted look and turned back to me.

"Riley, what happened?" he demanded.

"Cory, calm down! She'll tell us when she's ready!" Mom said, pulling his arm back.

I sighed contently. "Do you really want to know, Dad?" I asked.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. Mom was standing behind him, shaking her head and mouthing the word, 'no.'

I smiled at her. "Farkle was a perfect gentleman. We talked a lot about what's happened in the past few months. And then he walked me home. And then he kissed me."

"Ew!" Auggie exclaimed from the table.

Dad's eyes grew wide. " _Farkle_?! Farkle…he...but…"

He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Dad, it's fine," I said. "And this wasn't even the first time he kissed me. I mean, it's the first time he _actually_ kissed me, but it's not the first time he attempted," I chuckled.

"What?!" Dad yelled. "I thought you only kissed Lucas!"

"Well, technically, yes. But Farkle tried to kiss me once and he just kissed my chin. It was very weird," I said, laughing at the memory.

Dad was just quietly watching me now.

I raised my eyebrows at him, waiting for him to say something.

Finally, Mom stepped forward. "Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you. And I'm so glad you had a good time."

I smiled at her. "Thank you. Now just explain that to him," I said, pointing at Dad.

She chuckled. Then he said, "Riley, what if I give you a higher allowance? Will you not start dating yet?"

I rolled my eyes. "Dad, it's taken you this long to get to the bargaining stage. You need to get to the acceptance stage. I am proud of you for making it through denial and anger, though," I said, patting his back and walking past him.

I walked to my room, still floating on a cloud, and flopped down onto my bed, my arms spread out, just thinking of how wonderful this day was.

 **So, what do you think?! Farkle and Riley's first date…it went pretty well, huh?**

 **I'm sorry for not updating for a while. It's been pretty crazy.**

 **I will try very hard to not let it get this spread out between chapters. I promise!**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of their date! I love reviews!**

 **Thank you so much for reading this chapter! Stay awesome! :)**


	12. Mother Knows Best

**Hey guys…so I realize it has been SOOO long since I updated and I am so sorry. I just don't know when I can update. College life be crazy, man. I am really truly sorry though. I know I have taken way too long for this.**

 **Hopefully you like this chapter to kind of make up for it.**

I wasn't ready to face the demanding-to-know-everything friend that was Maya yet, so I didn't tell anyone about my date. I simply let it be. The only ones who knew were my family and Farkle and me. But I knew I couldn't keep it in for long. This was my first date alone with a boy. And it was with _Farkle_.

That idea still baffled me.

But it was somehow amazing. I couldn't wait to get to know him better and to be able to talk to him all the time and just be with him. Somehow, when I was with him on the date, I felt like everything was good. Like I couldn't be upset because I was with him. And I felt like I knew he would protect me from everything he could and that I could know he was watching out for me. I felt safe.

My fingers went to my lips, where just minutes before, Farkle had kissed me. My heart had felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. The butterflies in my stomach still somewhat remained. And I was so glad it was Farkle. He's the one who gets me, even when no one else does- even when my _best friend_ can't. It's always been Farkle. I don't know how I didn't see it before. But now it just seems so perfect. It's like every moment was leading up to bringing us together. And that made my heart jump even more. It was as if I didn't even know I could feel like that.

I could feel my cheeks getting red just thinking about that.

I stared up at the ceiling and realized I couldn't keep a smile off my face. Farkle had kissed me. It was such a strange thing to think, but it was oddly comforting.

I thought back to my date with Lucas. I was happy and still felt like this…but it wasn't the same somehow. With Lucas, I was so excited about having been on a date. And I got to dress up and "go out" for the first time. The experience was just awesome. Then I thought about my first kiss. I just couldn't believe I'd had my first kiss. I had dreamed about that moment since I was younger and it had finally happened.

Then I realized the difference. Why had my date with Farkle made me feel so different than my date with Lucas? Because when I was with Lucas, I was just excited to be on a date. I was excited to dress up and go out with a boy and have my first kiss. I had butterflies because I was excited. Because I thought Lucas was so cute and why shouldn't we just live happily ever after?

But I had only known Lucas for less than a year. We had just started becoming friends. And I didn't know him. Ever since that first day I saw him on the subway, I had thought he was cute. And that's all I ever saw in him from day one. I think I was so naïve that I believed you could start a relationship based on "love at first sight."

Once I got to know him, we just became friends. I began to only see him as just a friend. I don't think we fit together as a couple. And after a while, that initial attraction just…dies.

With Farkle, on the other hand, we were friends first. We know everything about each other. We met when we were so little. We get each other. And then it just always seemed like it was us together. We were the silly, goofy ones. He invited me to his geek party. Actually, he was my first kiss!

I chuckled, not knowing how I could forget that Farkle was my first kiss.

I sat up, an interesting thought entering my mind.

My parents have been together since they were babies in their strollers and their moms pushed them around the block together. They were friends for so long. And then Mom said that Dad went through a dumb boy phase. He thought he had to be cool, so he didn't want to be friends with her. But she always says that they would always have found a way back to each other. She always tells me the story about how she kissed him against the lockers. He didn't want her to, but they were each other's first kiss. Then finally my dad got out of his dumb boy phase and they started dating.

That whole thing seemed oddly familiar. Farkle and I have always been such good friends. Our parents didn't push us in our strollers around the block together, but apparently Farkle's parents and my parents have some history. They won't tell me everything, but I know they all went to school together.

We've always been together growing up. And then Farkle kissed me…when I didn't want him to.

I sighed.

Once again, I was the mirror image of my father. I had gone through the "dumb boy" phase.

But now it's over.

After that part was over for my parents, they were the happiest they've ever been. And they've been in love and together for so many years now.

 _Is that what I have to look forward to?_ I thought. The very idea made me smile.

Then there was a knock on my door and it immediately opened. My mom stuck her head inside.

"Hi, Mom," I said.

"Hey, Riley," she grinned, walking in.

"Let me guess," I began with a sly grin.

"You don't have to tell your father, but I want to know!" she exclaimed quietly. She closed the door and came to sit next to me on my bed.

I rolled my eyes. "You know, you are way too involved," I teased her.

"Come on, what happened? How did it go?"

Her curious face made me smile

"Fine," I gave in.

She grinned at me.

I proceeded to tell her the whole story, from how he asked me at school to when he kissed me at the doorstep.

"Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you," she said with a smile. Then I saw an idea come to her. "You know," she began.

"Yeah?"

"This kind of reminds me-"

"Of you and Dad?" I interrupted.

She smiled and nodded. "You thought so too, huh?"

"I mean I can't let myself believe that this one date will lead to what you two have, but the beginnings of the stories sound the same," I said, smiling.

"Yeah, don't set too high of expectations. Just be you. Like how you got here. It comes when you least expect it."

I nodded. "I know. I just see you two all the time, and you're so happy. You have always been so close and you're always together. You're so happy. But there's some people who don't stay together. People get divorced. And some people just don't love each other anymore. And-"

"Honey," Mom interrupted, looking concerned. "That is _never_ going to happen with your dad and me. I promise."

"No, I know. I know that'll never happen for you. You guys are like…crazy."

That made her laugh. "That's one way to put it," she said. "What do you mean then, sweetie?"

"Some people don't get to have that. And I'm scared that I'm one of them," I said quietly.

"Riley," Mom said quietly.

"That's why I keep trying to find things that we have in common. Because I want to be like you guys."

"Sweetheart," Mom interrupted again. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that we made you feel like that."

"It's not your fault, Mom. It's just me. You are just so happy that I want what you have."

"And you will have it," she said.

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do."

"How?" I asked.

She looked at me for a second. "Because you are just like me and your dad. And you deserve to have that."

I smiled at her. "Thanks, Mom."

"But that is not something you need to be worrying about right now. It will come to you. It's like I said- it's not something you can just make happen. Just give it time, Riley. You're only fourteen years old."

"Do you think it's Farkle?"

"I don't know, honey. And neither do you, until you give it time. Eventually, you will know. Just let yourself wait."

"Okay," I said, nodding. "And in the meantime, I can watch you guys," I said with a small smile.

"You don't need to be just like us to be happy, Riley. Just be you. You will be happy."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I love you," she said, hugging me back.

"I love you, too, Mom."

 **I know a lot of people love the mother-daughter moments and I am included in that for sure. It was fun to write so I hope you liked it. Also…heh heh…gotta squeeze every bit of Corpanga in there that I can ;)**

 **Anyways, PLEASE leave a review! I absolutely love hearing from you. Thank you so much for reading this.**

 **Stay awesome!**


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